


Home (a place where you belong)

by casualwonderlust



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Cassie Lang is adorable and should be protected at all costs, Cassie's origin story, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Fluff, Post-Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Scott is a good Dad, The Langs are precious cinnamon rolls, and Hope's learning to love, because I'm not Marvel, but expect Infinity War level, real cute stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-13 09:30:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15361470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/casualwonderlust/pseuds/casualwonderlust
Summary: After the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, starts off right at that cute scene between the Langs and Hope. Before that horrible mid-credits scene.Hope and Scott rebuild. They become partners; they become family. This is their story.((Expect all the fluff...and maybe some angst?))





	1. Time

It’s not that Hope Van Dyne didn’t like kids. On the contrary, despite her rough and tough exterior, she actually loved watching the occasional cute baby video whenever she was in her office, alone at night where nobody could see her.

The only problem was that Hope didn’t know how to act around kids.

So when Scott (her ex not-boyfriend) invited her out a few days after they had saved her mom from the Quantum Realm, she was expecting an awkward night of apologies and maybe some hot make-up sex. She definitely did not expect his young daughter to answer the door.

“You’re Hope!” yelled the 10 year old brunette as she opened the door. Hope’s eyes grew wide, and her whole body went stiff.

She looked at the little girl in front of her. Cassie Lang was all smiles in her cute pink tutu and messy high ponytail, which was obviously done by Scott. In her hands were an odd-looking stuffed toy, and a cookie.

“We were making cookies. Here, try some!” Cassie offered her the half-eaten cookie with expectant brown eyes, matching the same hopeful look Scott would sometimes wear on his face whenever he was staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

“Um…okay” Hope said, taking the cookie from the young girl’s grasp. She slowly raised the treat to her mouth and tried to not look directly at the girl as she chewed.

“Is it good?” Cassie asked.

As Hope was about to answer, a familiar voice chimed in from inside the house. “Hope, is that you?” Scott appeared from the end of the hallway and scrambled towards the entrance.

Hope couldn’t hide the small smirk that made its way to her face when she saw Scott’s current predicament. Looking very disheveled, he was dressed in an apron covered in flour and eggs, and on top of his head, he wore a bedazzled chef’s hat.

“Looking good, Scott” Hope laughed. Scott looked down at his outfit and chuckled.

“Eww… Daddy, you look dirty!” Cassie giggled. Scott scoffed and placed his hands on top of her shoulders.

“Well, I’m just paying for the mess you made in the kitchen.” He joked, pinching his daughter’s cheeks as the young girl laughed. Looking back at the woman standing on his front porch, Scott straightened up a bit and opened the door wider to let Hope in.

“Peanut, why don’t you start making the popcorn? I’ll just show our guest around.”

The young girl nodded and ran back to the kitchen. Hope stepped through the threshold and smiled as Scott shuffled around in front of her, trying to clear away some of the toys in the hallway.

“I didn’t know your daughter was going to be joining us this evening.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. It’s just that I’m finally done with my house-arrest and Maggie asked if I could take Cass for the weekend since she and Jim are going to New York to meet up with their wedding planner” Scott apologized. “Plus, it’s the first time I get to introduce you to Cassie, and she’s really excited to meet you”

“She’s excited to meet me?” Hope asked, looking at Scott with narrowed eyes.

“Uh yeah… I talk about you all the time, and she’s always asking about you. I thought that this would be the best way for you guys to get to know each other” Scott explained. He gestured towards the living room and encouraged for her to sit down on the couch. “I’m sorry that this is all so messy. I’m pretty sure that this was not the kind of night you were expecting. If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to stay. I bet you’d rather hang out with your folks than have to babysit with silly ol’ me.”

“You talk about me?” Hope piped in.

“Oh…uh…well yeah…” Scott answered nervously, caught off-guard by his own comment. Taking a seat on the loveseat across from the couch, he wrung his hands together in front of her. “I mean I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Scott, you don’t have to keep apologizing. I’m just shocked that you talk to your daughter about me.” Hope said with a shrug.

“But there are some things I still need to apologize for” Scott replied back in a serious, yet somber tone. He looked at her, and their eyes meet. His expression told her that there was so much to be said, so many things he wanted to tell her. The room grew silent apart from Cassie’s jolly singing from the kitchen, acting as background noise.

Hope sighed, and watched his hands twist. Reaching out, she grabbed one hand and held it in both of hers. Her thumbs grazed the back of his palm, and she slowly intertwined one hand with his. Scott looked at her with shining eyes, and Hope knew that she must be mirroring his expression too. She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

_She still loves him._

“We have time” she whispered. Scott squeezed her fingers between his, and gave her the biggest smile she’d ever seen on his face. Slowly, he leaned over whilst pulling her towards him. She could feel his breath on her lips, and she pushed forwards even more. Their lips met in a somewhat chaste kiss. Hope felt her lips grow into a smile as they breathed in each other’s air.

“Daddy! The popcorn’s ready!” Cassie shouted from the kitchen. Scott jumped backwards in surprise; his hands landed on the coffee table and he gave her a gobsmacked expression, a look that just said _oh-my-god-did-that-happen-what_. Hope just chuckled at his appearance, very aware of how red her own cheeks were.

“Okay, go ahead and grab a bowl and get over here, Peanut!” he yelled back.

“Popcorn?” she asked, watching as Scott scrambled to push the coffee table and loveseat aside. He gestured for her to stand up, and began pushing the couch as soon as she lifted herself from her seat.

“Yeah, we’re all watching a movie together” Scott answered back smugly once he finished pushing the couch to the wall.

“In here?” Hope looked around the living room, and wondered where they’d watch the movie because she couldn’t seem to find the TV.

Scott pointed to the laptop resting on the shelf. On its screen was the title card for a black and white movie called “Them!” Hope just rolled her eyes because _of course_ , Scott just had to pick a movie that was all about ants.

“Did you bring the cars?” he asked her. When he had called her this morning to sheepishly ask her out, he had specifically requested that she bring a few miniature cars with her when she came to visit. Hope didn’t bother asking why, and just assumed that she was better of not knowing what Scott had in mind.

She reached into the pocket of her jeans, and handed him the cars and watched with a curious eye as he positioned them one-by-one in neat rows in the middle of the living room. He then grabbed the laptop off of the shelf and situated it in front of the cars.

Cassie bounded back into the room with a huge bowl of popcorn hugged to her chest. As soon as she saw where Hope was, she zoomed past her father and made her way to the woman’s side. Hope looked down at her smiling companion, and gave the girl a polite grin.

The girl raised the bowl to Hope’s chest. “Do you want some popcorn?” Cassie asked.

“Actually, I would love some popcorn” Hope answered, taking a handful of pieces in her hand. In return, Cassie’s answering smile looked like it would tear her face in two.

“Oh my gosh, the Wasp just ate some of MY popcorn!” Cassie gushed. “I really like that you can fly!”

“Oh, thank you” Hope smiled, her heart about to burst from the little girl’s enthusiasm. Cassie Lang was just as lovable as her father.

“Is it hard fighting all the bad guys?” the girl asked.

“Sometimes, but us girls, we’re stronger” Hope said.

“Wow, you must be so brave” Cassie responded. She looked down at the ground and a frown formed on her face. “I wish I could be that brave”

“Don’t worry you’re brave too!” Hope encouraged. She patted Cassie’s back in a reassuring manner. “I’ll even teach you how to beat all the bad guys.”

Cassie’s eyes grew wide and she looked up at Hope with an optimistic expression. “Really? You’d really do that? For me???”

“Yeah… just don’t tell your daddy” she whispered. “This is a secret only for us girls”

The ten year old giggled and made a zipping motion across her lips. “Girls only!”

“Okay, everything is set up!” Scott announced. He waved his arms above his head and made a big over-the-top sweeping motion. “So, who wants to watch a drive-in movie?”

Cassie raised her hand enthusiastically, and Hope just laughed at Scott’s antics.

“Wow this is so cool! I’m gonna go tiny like you and Daddy” Cassie said in an excited tone as she grabbed Hope’s hand.

Feeling the small hand in hers, Hope’s eyes drifted down to her and Cassie’s joined hands. She felt something warm in her chest at the sight.

“Okay, sweetie, hand over the popcorn to Hope” Scott directed. Ever the obedient child, Cassie politely passed the bowl into Hope’s waiting hands and ran over to her father. Hope couldn’t help but feel a small loss after Cassie’s hand left hers. She found herself missing that tiny warmth.

Scott picked up his daughter in his arms. “You ready to go tiny, Peanut?”

“Yes!” she cheered, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

“You sure? I don’t think you’re old enough to go tiny. Maybe we can do this when you’re eighteen” Scott teased back.

“Daddy!” Cassie whined. “I wanna go tinyyyy!”

"Okay okay, I’m just messing with you, kiddo” Scott relented. “Let’s go watch that movie”

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Hope looking at him with a smirk, and he winked back at her.

_Things were going to be just fine._

_They have time._


	2. Stay Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Hope's first time waking up after staying the night at Scott's, and she is not used to it AT ALL.
> 
> This chapter is purely Scott and Hope fluff! Enjoy!

_It’s cold._

That is the first thought that pops up in Hope’s head as she slowly wakes up.

Her brain hasn’t fully caught up to her current situation. It usually took a long hot shower and a cup of coffee to get her whole system running.

Today was not a coffee kind of day apparently.

“Why is it so damn cold?” she whispered to herself, keeping her eyelids shut tight. She blindly searched for a blanket. Her hands searched around the mattress until she felt the thick warm sheet in her fingers. Lifting the comforter, she harshly tugged it over her body, covering her frame from neck to toe. She sighed in comfort as she snuggled back into her pillow.

 _Finally…some warmth_ , Hope thought to herself as she breathed calmly into the pillow cover. Except the scent she took in was not the familiar linen and daisy fabric softener scent she usually smelled around her apartment. Instead, it was a distinctive yet familiar aroma, one that she was getting so accustomed to.

_Scott_

Hope’s eyes shot open, and she surveyed the area around her. In place of her normally clean and minimalist bedroom was the messy and cramped bedroom of one Scott Lang. His window was open, leading the cool San Francisco breeze into the room, which explained the cool temperature that had disturbed her from her sleep.

As Hope took in her surroundings, the memories started to flood back in.

She had gone over to Scott’s place to train. After a rather tiring session of boxing in his backyard, the two had decided to order some Chinese takeout and Scott had insisted that they watch a movie as a reward for “being badass and kicking some serious butt” (his words).

After spending almost ten minutes just playfully arguing on what to watch on Netflix (she wanted to watch a murder documentary and he whined about finishing Mamma Mia since he and Cassie fell asleep and didn’t get to finish it), they both agreed on watching the new Star Wars movie. One thing led to another and midway through the movie, some playful snuggling on Scott’s part turned into a full-blown makeout session on the couch. Which led to him pulling her on top of his lap that then turned into her pulling him into the hallway…and then eventually leading to him basically carrying her up the stairs and into his bedroom.

Long story short… they never got to finish the movie last night.

Hope felt her cheeks redden as she remembered the events that had transpired in the room that she was in. This wasn’t something she usually did.

A lot of things had changed since Scott re-entered into her life.

Before Scott, she would never stay the night with men she had hooked up with in the past. Hope had a routine.

 

1\. She would go to some random hole-in-the-wall drinking spot.

2\. She would sit by the bar, and order herself a drink.

3\. She would wait for some brave enough fellow to approach her.

4\. They would strike up a conversation. She’d ask about his work, and vaguely answer his questions with blunt replies that left no room for more questioning.

5\. Then she would take the lucky guy to her apartment and let him do all the work.

6\. In the morning, she’d get up before him and take a shower; wait in the bathroom until she heard the front door close.

 

That was her routine. She never stayed the night with anyone; she was just not into the walk-of-shame kind of lifestyle. Thus, all kinds of sexual activities stayed in her place, and her place alone.

Then Scott happened.

Scott with his goofy grin and poorly-timed jokes. At first, she was determined to hate him. She was supposed to be the one in the suit, and he was an idiot who didn’t have any self-control ever.

Despite all this, against all odds, he had found a small opening in all her carefully crafted walls, and squeezed his way into her heart. She found herself smiling at all his quirky actions. When he had grabbed her just outside her father’s bedroom and planted his lips on hers, she knew she was a goner.

After he had helped her and her father with the Cross situation, when they had first started hooking up, most of their intimate moments happened in the form of quickies in the basement of her childhood home when her father was out of the house, and messy but breathless touching in the middle of the lab whilst discussing future upgrades to the Ant-Man suit.

However, like all things that happen in her life, Scott had to go ahead and mess things up again. Then it was just her and her father, running from the government because the same idiot she had started to fall in love with just had to join the Avengers and ruin all of their lives.

Yet, he still came back. Plus, on top of that, he helped bring her mother back into the world. Of course, being Scott, he did end up causing some trouble along the way but still, he managed to save the world, and she had kissed him.

_So yeah…she never stopped loving him, after all._

“Aww man, you weren’t supposed to wake up yet!” a familiar voice whined, breaking Hope away from her thoughts. The man at the center of her thoughts appeared by the doorway, leaning against the frame, and looking at her with a small grin on his face.

“I was going to surprise you with some breakfast in bed” Scott pouted. His hair was standing at different angles, and he only had a pair of pajama pants on to go along with his woke-up-like-this appearance.

Hope, finally fully-aware, realized her state of undress, and searched for her clothes on the floor.

“I should get going” she murmured, wrapping his blanket around her naked frame, and proceeding to lift herself from the bed.

"Nuh uh uh… nope, Miss Van Dyne, you aren’t going anywhere until you’ve got a taste of the official Lang bacon and pancakes!” Scott said, hurrying towards the bed, and gently pushing her back into the mattress by the shoulders. 

“Scott” she sighed, struggling against his hold. Hope tried to push him away, but Scott fought back, using his chest to block her body from escape. “I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

“You could never” he argued back. His eyes meeting hers, he brought one hand to her cheek and lightly pecked her on the lips. She could feel him smiling against her lips.

“I don’t do one-night-stands” she said.

“Good, because this isn’t a one-night thing… you better get used to staying the night” Scott replied, his tone playful but Hope sensed a serious undertone to his words.

“Don’t expect me to start leaving my underwear in your drawers OR a spare toothbrush” Hope said, as a matter-of-fact, her tone definite and strong.

“Okay… I’ll just order you one on Amazon” he winked back before proceeding to attack her neck with small kisses. “You like soft bristles? Or are you into those electric toothbrushes?”

“Scott!” she whined, feeling the blush spread throughout her whole face. Scott let out a soft laugh against her collar bone but continued with his assault on her skin. She ran her fingers through Scott’s hair, gripping and pulling on the strands.

_Beep Beep Beep_

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise rang from somewhere downstairs. Scott pulled his mouth away from her body, and jumped off the bed haggardly. He had a panicked look on his face.

“Oh shit! The bacon!” He yelled before running out of the room in a hurry.

Hope giggled breathlessly from the bed, and listened to Scott’s hysterical cursing coming from the kitchen below.

“Okay… we’re gonna have to postpone the bacon and pancakes. Are you in the mood for some cereal?”

Hope rolled her eyes, and rested her head against the pillow. Despite the cool air blowing in from outside, she felt warm.

_She could get used to staying in._


	3. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie's scared of thunder. Hope's there to help.
> 
>  
> 
> A fluffy little moment between Cassie and Hope.

“Close the window” Hope whispered groggily after being roused from sleep by a loud boom of thunder. She could hear the drops of rain coming in through the window and splattering against the floorboards. Although she was provided warmth from being hugged by Scott from behind, she was beginning to feel the cool air emitting from the rain.

Without even opening her eyes, she tapped incessantly on Scott’s arm, which was wrapped against her waist. Her sleeping partner groaned against her neck, and tugged her closer to his chest, ignoring her comment. She felt Scott’s stubble tickle the back of her ear, and heard his breathing even out, signaling that he had not been bothered by the storm.

Letting out a sigh, Hope pulled away from Scott’s touch, gently wrenching his arms away from her center, and untangling her legs from his. He let out a soft moan of disappointment at the loss of skin, and grabbed her wrist as she was getting up from the bed.

 _“Noooo_ … don’t go, it’s probably Thor or something” he murmured, still barely awake. He looked at her with half-shut eyes and gave her a sleepy grin in an effort to get her back in his arms. Hope just chuckled at his failed attempts at requesting for a cuddle. She grabbed his hand that was holding onto her wrist and gave it a kiss on the palm.

“I’ll be right back” she said quietly, slowly releasing his hand and watching as Scott snuggled against her pillow.

“Okay but you better get back before my mom gets home. I’m not allowed to sneak girls into my room” he whispered, already in the midst of whatever dream he had in his head. Hope bit her lip as to not burst out laughing.

Hope slowly stood up from the bed, grimacing as she felt the aches of her joints and muscles. She’s been pushing herself too much in the gym lately, and she could definitely feel the consequences now.

The floorboards creaked as she made her way over to the open window. She frowned as she looked out into the stormy night sky outside. She could see rainclouds forming from way out in the sea, and there were traces of light flashing from the heavens, signaling lighting.

 “Crap” she whispered into the dark. She felt her bare feet step into a puddle of rainwater that was formed right below the window. It was raining so hard that the rain had made it into the bedroom.

She pulled downwards, and shut the window tight, making sure to lock it so that the rain would not leak in furthermore.

Knowing that she had to somehow mop up the water from the floor, Hope quietly tiptoed out of the room and made her way to the bathroom to grab some spare towels that she could lay on the floor to soak up the water.

After crossing the hallway in complete darkness, she managed to make it to her destination and grabbed some towels off the shelf. Satisfied, she started walking along the hallway to get back to the bedroom.

However, once she had her hand on the doorknob of Scott’s room, she heard a small whimper emit from Cassie’s room.

At that noise, Hope felt a chill take over her body.

Cassie was usually a heavy-sleeper, and despite the numerous nights Hope had spent at Scott’s so far, she had never heard a sound like that come from Cassie’s bedroom.

Suddenly, Hope was bombarded by thoughts of every kind of bad scenario. _What if she’s being kidnapped? What if she slipped because of the rain and hurt herself? Dammit, Scott should’ve put some security locks on Cassie’s window!_

Hope quickly ran over to the little girl’s door and balled up her fists, prepared to face whatever dangers she could imagine were inside the bedroom. Yet, when she opened the door to confront the source of Cassie’s whimper, all she was met with was a small girl sobbing in her bed.

The ten-year old girl was sitting in her bed with her knees brought up to her head, shielding her face. At the sound of her door opening, she raised her head and her tear-filled eyes met Hope’s worried ones.

“Oh my god, Cassie! Are you okay? Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Hope asked as she scrambled over to the girl’s bed, making sure to check the area for any evil danger.

“ _H-Hope?_ ” Cassie hiccuped out, her tears still flowing down her cheeks.

“Yes, I’m here. I’m right here, Cassie. Tell me what happened. I can help” Hope encouraged her, taking a seat on the bed by the little girl’s legs. Hope placed one hand on Cassie’s knee and gently patted it.

“The…the rain” Cassie whimpered, pointing to the window. Hope’s eyes landed on the source of the girl’s fear, and the realization hit her.

_Oh, she’s afraid of the thunder._

“Don’t worry, Cassie. It’s just rain. It can’t hurt you” she assured her boyfriend’s daughter. Just as she finished reassuring the young girl, another boom of thunder echoed from outside. Cassie squealed in fear, and shuddered due to the sound.

“It was so loud. Like guns” Cassie whispered, her voice full of panic. She placed her head in between her knees and shut her eyes. “I thought the police men…they were gonna take my daddy away again”

Hope’s heart bled for the little girl. She was really bothered by the rain, and all Hope wanted to do was comfort her.

Hesitantly, Hope reached out and began to run her fingers through the little girl’s locks of hair. She started to gently caress Cassie’s head in an effort to bring some peace to the girl’s demeanor.

“It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here. Nobody's going to take your daddy away from you; if they try, they're going to have to go through me.”

Slowly, as the minutes passed, Hope could feel Cassie’s body begin to soften and release tension.

“That thunder you hear is just your daddy’s friend, Mr. Thor” Hope explained, trying to get the girl to relax.

“Thor is daddy’s friend?” Cassie asked, her tone already sounding not too fearful. The girl lifted her head up and looked at Hope; her eyes still shining of unshed tears, but she looked curious now instead of afraid.

“Well…they haven’t exactly met yet, but your dad’s technically teammates with the guy” Hope answered, hoping her explanation made sense. “So all that thunder you’re so afraid of is just Thor saying hi.”

Okay, so she wasn’t exactly the best at making lies believable to little children, but hopefully that made sense.

“He’s just saying hi?” Cassie whispered. Hope gave her a soothing smile and nodded.

_Boom_

Another crack of thunder interrupted the conversation, but this time instead of freaking out, Cassie just cringed at the loud sound. Hope felt a surge of pride at the girl’s reaction.

“Okay…so tell Thor goodnight and get some sleep, Sweetie” Hope said. She gave the girl one last stroke on the head, and began to stand up from the bed, but Cassie reached out and wrapped her small hand around Hope’s wrist, tugging the woman back down.

“Stay with me?” the girl begged in a small voice. Hope’s heart practically melted at the tone, and she found that she couldn’t say no to the girl’s request.

“Your daddy is going to be _so_ lonely” she whispered jokingly as she slowly slipped in between the covers and lied down beside Cassie. The young girl just let out a small scoff and snuggled closer to Hope’s side, hugging Hope’s arm to her tiny body.

“Daddy’s fine. He’s brave. He can go say hi to his teammate if he wants” Cassie whispered in a sleepy tone. "Do you think daddy would introduce to me to Thor when they become teammates? He's really _pretty_."

"You're going to have to ask your dad about that."

Hope chuckled and gave the girl a light kiss on the top of her head, feeling herself already begin to drift off.

 

* * *

 

“Hope?” Scott groaned as he shot up from his bed. He looked over to the side where his partner usually slept and cocked his head in surprise when he found that section of the bed empty.

 _Strange…usually Hope wakes me up when she needs to leave early_ , Scott thought to himself.

Looking around his room, he searched for any trace of his partner. He looked over to the window and saw a puddle formed below, but the window was closed shut.

Scratching his head, Scott got up from his bed and walked barefoot into the hallway to look for Hope. He noticed a pair of towels left right outside his bedroom door, and looked at them in confusion. He bent down and grabbed the pieces of cloth and made his way to Cassie’s bedroom.

“Okay Peanut, wakey wakey. Let’s go and make some breakfa-“ Scott was then cut off by the sight of his precious daughter sleeping soundly in her bed, wrapped securely in the arms of his beautiful, badass partner.

The sight was so endearing that Scott felt his throat tighten up. He really wished that Luis had not broken his phone last week (in a freak waffle accident) so that he could take a photo of this moment.

“Never mind… _I’m just_ …you guys just…sleep some more” he whispered softly as he quietly shut the door.

 

 


	4. Relationship Status

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott finds out that he's not his daughter's favorite superhero and this leads to a change in relationship status between him and Hope. Also, Thor makes another appearance in this chapter.
> 
> ((Author's Note: I am posting this chapter from the airport. Unfortunately, I’ll be traveling for the next few weeks so I won’t have much time to really focus on this story. However, I do have a couple of chapters that I have already written and edited so I will try my best to post them up whenever I find the time. I have really planned out the plotline for this fic, and for those who have suggested some prompts in the comments, I did include your prompts so keep your eyes open for your ideas popping up in future chapters! Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!))

Scott leaned against his kitchen counter and gripped the piece of paper in his hands. With a scowl etched on his face, he deliberated over whether it was better to shred the paper using the paper shredder or to burn the document over the stove and watch it be engulfed by the flames.

He could hear the birds chirping, and the neighborhood children were playing hopscotch by the street. However, Scott wanted to curse at all the happiness around him. Today, he decided, was a terrible day.

He continued to mull over the piece of paper in his hands, not even noticing Hope’s entrance into his house.

“Hey, Scott. Let’s go, the car’s running outside” Hope announced as soon as she entered the kitchen. “I don’t want to keep Foster and Ava waiting.”

She took in Scott’s appearance and raised an eyebrow at his sullen mood.

“I. Cannot. Believe. This.” Scott gritted out through his teeth. He waved the paper in front of Hope’s face, showing her the contents.

She squinted her eyes and scanned the document. On the paper was a paragraph of words, she recognized the word “Thor” written along some of the lines.

“I’m just looking at a paper about Thor? You got to give me some context here, Scott.”

“Cassie wrote this for her English class. Her teacher asked the kids to write about a hero” Scott explained, frowning at the drawing as if it had committed some type of crime against his family.

“I’M NOT CASSIE’S FAVORITE SUPERHERO ANYMORE!” he wailed, crumbling the essay in his fist.

This was truly the most horrible moment of Scott’s entire career as a father. Learning that he came second to the god of thunder was a real blow to his ego. Really, how could he possibly compete against a literal god?! The man had muscles on top his muscles, for crying out loud.

“How can my daughter betray me like this, Hope? My very own kin?! Her blood is my blood, and yet, I have no place in her heart!” Scott bemoaned. “It’s her first ever English report and she writes about Thor! I feel like I’ve been disowned by the very person I brought into life.”

Hope raised an eyebrow at Scott’s sorrowful moans. “Aren’t you being a little overdramatic?”

“Overdramatic?! This is a completely rational reaction to such a heinous betrayal!” Scott answered.

“Okay, calm down, Edgar Allan Poe. Be serious… it’s just a paper” she shrugged, leaning against the doorframe.

“I am being serious!” Scott retorted. He looked down at the now-crumbled sheet in his hand and threw it violently against the refrigerator door. Hope rolled her eyes at the action, and approached him. Leaning against the counter beside him, she placed her hand on his shoulder and gently patted him, as if to offer her own condolences.

“I’m sure you’re still the hero she adores” she assured him. He pouted back at her.

“But not the hero she wants…” he glowered at the floor, defeated.

“It’s probably just a childhood crush” she explains.

“She’s not allowed to have crushes yet; she’s ten!” Scott argues.

“So? I remember having a thing for Pierce Brosnan when I was in my pre-teens.” She reasoned. If Scott was worried about his daughter having a crush at her age now, Hope couldn’t wait for him to struggle when Cassie hit her teenage years.

She could already imagine the amount of stress Scott would have to deal with. Knowing Scott, she could totally see him even considering the possibility of purchasing a chastity belt.

“Really? Pierce Brosnan?” he asked in disbelief.

“What?! He was dreamy.” She reasoned back.

“But we’re talking about Thor here! You know, the guy with the cool hair, and the 16 pack abs…”

“Thor’s dreamy too, I guess.” Hope pointed out.

Scott rolled his eyes, and put his face in his hands. “Oh great, I just lost my daughter to the god of thunder, and now, I’m losing my girlfriend to him too.”

Hope freezes at the comment. This was the first time Scott had ever brought up the status of their relationship.

They’ve been slowly treading across this new territory they had with each other, never mentioning or talking about what they were or how they were taking the “next step.” Hope liked to think that what they had with each other was something that didn’t need definition. In her defense, why make things more complicated than they already are?

Of course, in her head, she did secretly refer to him as her boyfriend. But that was an exception since she was free to think of him in whatever she wanted to in the privacy of her own mind.

She tried reasoning to herself that by not calling him her boyfriend, she was giving another point to feminism. Because she was Hope Van Dyne, and she didn’t need no man to hold her down.

Yet sometimes, at night, when they lay together in his bed, she would watch him as he slept. The rise and fall of his chest, the way he whispered in his sleep. She would trace the outline of his jaw with her fingertips, and whisper in the darkness – “Boyfriend”.

And she found herself liking the taste of the word on her tongue.

However, she would never tell Scott this…because again, she didn’t need a man to validate her feelings.

“Girlfriend?” she whispered unsurely. Scott’s continued whining halted to a stop and he whipped his head to the side to look at her. His eyes were wide and his mouth dropped open in shock.

After a good minute or two of the two of them just looking at each other in dumbfounded silence, he pursed his lips, giving her a hesitant smile. “Well I mean yeah…I know we haven’t exactly talked about it…but yeah-I mean I want you to be, but uh…only if you want to be…my girlfriend”, he stuttered.

Hope remained silent, looking at him with blank eyes, which was doing nothing to calm Scott’s sudden nerves. He was legitimately freaking out.

_This was not the way I wanted this kind of conversation to go,_ he thought to himself. Never in his wildest dreams did Scott Lang ever imagine a conversation about Thor would lead to him and Hope defining their relationship status.

He watched Hope blink at him, and bite her bottom lip. She looked to be deciding on what she was going to say.

_Okay, it’s make or break now, Scott. She’s either gonna dump you or make you the happiest man alive_ , a voice in his head said. He clenched his teeth in anticipation, and braced himself for her reply.

“I expected flowers and champagne” she finally answered. Scott looked at her, confusion evident in his eyes. Hope rolled her eyes, and proceeded to grab Scott by the collar. She planted her lips on his, basically confirming what she wanted. She wanted _this_.

It took a few seconds for him to finally catch on to what Hope meant. Eventually, Scott broke out of his own confused trance and kissed back, hungrily gasping every breath of air from her mouth.

He wrapped his arms around her lower back, pulling her closer until they were chest-to-chest and there was literally no more space between them. Her hands went up to his hair, entangling her fingers with his soft brown locks and playfully gripping the strands.

“We’re really doing this, huh?” Scott gave her a smile as their lips separated, both of their lungs gasping for air.

“What? Being together? I mean I thought the constant sleepovers basically proved the point, Lang” she teased.

“Yeah, but now it’s official!” He said, smiling at her like he won the lottery. “Hope Van Dyne is _my_ girlfriend, and I can say that out loud!”

Scott looked so proud, and Hope bit her cheek to keep from smiling like an idiot.

“Think about it, we’re fighting crime in the streets, and making magic in the sheets” he winked at her, his voice cocky. Hope gave him a pointed glare because _, really, Scott?_

She was seconds away from whacking the back of his head when Cassie announced her entrance from the main entrance.

“Daddy dad daddy! I’m here!” Cassie yelled, her frantic footsteps bounding along the hallway was heard from the kitchen.

Another voice yelled out from the front door, “We’ll pick her up on Sunday, Scott!”

“Okay, see you then, Jim!” Scott yelled back. They heard the front door shut.

“HOPE!” Cassie squealed as she reached the kitchen. Hope smiled at her, bending down a bit to meet Cassie’s hug. The girl wrapped her arms around Hope’s neck, murmuring a sweet hello against Hope’s hair.

“Hey, Cassie” she greeted once she detached herself from the ten-year old’s grasp. The girl gave her a bright smile, complete with teeth and all.

“Hi Hope! Are you staying over today? Can you teach me how to punch again? Can we do kicks too?” she asked excitedly.

“Okay, I guess no hello for me?” Scott pouted. Cassie turned to him and grabbed his arm, jumping up to kiss him on the cheek. He smiled as he bent down to let her plant a peck on his cheek, ruffling the hair on top of her head afterwards.

“Oh dad! Have you seen the English report I’m writing for Miss Stevens?” Cassie asked. The couple froze, both sets of eyes quickly dropped to the crumpled piece of paper located at the foot of the refrigerator.

“Oh about that paper! I heard that it’s your first ever written report, Cassie! That’s exciting!” Hope exclaimed, distracting the young girl in front of her. Scott shot her a thankful look and hurried over to the fridge, pretending to search for a drink inside whilst grabbing the paper at the same time.

“Yeah! She told us to write about any hero, and I wrote about Thor!” she replied. Scott frowned at the enthusiasm in his daughter.

“You wrote about Thor instead of your good ol’ dad?” he asked in a disappointed voice. He leaned against the side of the fridge, and crossed his arms.

Cassie turned and gave him a confused look.

“I guess Ant-Man doesn’t stand a chance against Thor” he whined.

“Daddy! Don’t say that! You’re so awesome! I didn’t write about Ant-Man because he’s MY hero because he’s MY dad only. No one else can have him. I don’t need to tell anyone how cool you are; they should already know!” she explained. Scott and Hope regarded her with amused looks.

Scott smiled happily at his daughter, proud that he was still the best superhero in her eyes. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, playfully lifting her off the ground and swinging her around.

“Oh Peanut, you don’t know how happy I am that you said that” he exclaimed as she giggled in his arms.

Hope smiled as she watched the father-daughter duo play around the kitchen. She leaned against the counter and watched them happily dance.

As Cassie ran around talking about her day, Scott noticed the content look on Hope’s face. _His girlfriend._ He shot her a small smirk.

Now, he was going to have to thank Thor when he met him for basically being the reason why he got Hope Van Dyne to be his girlfriend.

 


	5. Chapter 4.5: Thrillseeker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at Scott and Hope, and their story. Scott likes chasing the thrill...aka Hope Van Dyne.
> 
>  
> 
> (Author's Note: Ok ok so I know I've been gone for a while. I'm so so sorry. I just had to get away for a little bit due to personal reasons. However, I'm back and better, and I'm ready to post more stories about my favorite superhero couple. I'm just finishing up the next few chapters, so here's a little snippet for you guys to ease over the wait. I hope you guys enjoy!)

i.

He sees her and thinks, _damn, she’s beautiful_. Her father asks him for the impossible, and he wants to say no. But he sees her and he wants to be a hero. There’s a thrill shooting through his body, and its not related to how the suit feels on his skin.

ii.

He knows she could kick his ass, and he would totally let her do just that. He falls more and more in love with every punch.

iii.

They save the world. He kisses her and then her father catches them. He feels the thrill, missing the feeling of her lips as he hurries out of the house. He wants to kiss her again. And again. And again.

iv.

They don’t put a label on it, but he knows it could go somewhere. He starts familiarizing himself with her every move.

She doesn’t like to cuddle after sex but she likes feeling his warmth. She’s not a hand-holder but she twines their fingers together whenever she’s lost in thought. She smiles at him whenever he cracks a joke in her father’s lab. She hums in approval whenever he makes suggestions for her prototype suit. He fights with her father regarding some issues with the way he wants to use the suit; he notices the fire in her eyes whenever he argues about making the world a better place.

She’s everything he wants. _And oh, how he wants and wants and wants._

v.

He got caught after trying to be a hero. He swears that he was just trying to help. He’s trapped in another cell, in the middle of god-knows-where. There's a pull in his heart; he knows she'll be mad. The only thing he hopes for isn’t his freedom but her forgiveness.

vi.

His house becomes his prison, and he hasn’t heard from her in months. He yearns for the time when they were something. Something was better than spending his hours alone.

vii.

It only took one phone call for her to kidnap his sorry ass. He tried to apologize whenever he could; she’s still as cold as the woman he remembers in his memories. Except this time, she doesn’t need him to be a hero. She’s chasing her own thrill. She’s her own hero now; she's different and the same. He just wishes he could be in her vicinity.

viii.

They save the day, and Janet Van Dyne is back on earth. A little part of him knows that this could work. That they could be partners. There’s a thrill in his heart, a feeling he should hide. He doesn’t want to disappoint her again.

ix.

She’s smiling again. He watches as she gets her family back. He sees her slowly transform into the daughter she never was after her mother disappeared.

He leaves them. He slips out amongst the reunion tears and familial hugs. He folds up the borrowed suit and leaves it on the doorstep of the lab. He heads home, his heart heavy, but he knows she deserves better.

x.

There’s a knock on the door. It’s the middle of the night. It’s his first night as a free man, and he should be out with the boys, wreaking havoc and whatnot. He even considered the idea of a one-night-stand, but there was no way he could go through with it. He still longed for a pair of green eyes.

He opens the door and the green orbs stare at him. She’s standing on his front porch, and hugging the once-familiar suit to her body. She pushes the red and black material against his chest and knocks the air out of his lungs.

“I can’t do this without you. I won’t.” she whispers.

He calls her the next day, and he asks her out to watch a movie. She says yes.

The thrill in his heart is back. It blooms and blooms. It keeps blooming.

 

 


	6. Family Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janet and Hank invite Scott over for "urgent matters." The two Ant-Mans have a talk. 
> 
>  
> 
> (Author's Note: See, I told you guys I was trying to be more consistent. So, here's a 3000+ word chapter! Hope you guys enjoy.)

Scott was in the middle of making Cassie’s surprise chocolate-carrot (it’s a weird combination, but she loves it)  cake when the telephone rings. With one hand holding a whisk covered with chocolate bits, he uses his other hand to reach for the phone.

“Uh hello?” he says into the receiver, wondering who could possibly be calling him. Nobody ever called him on his home phone…like honestly, no one EVER.

Luis usually texted him a message before calling his cellphone, Kurt and Dave would use Luis to relay their messages, and if Hope ever needed to talk to him, she would literally just show up. Hell, even the FBI guys who usually checked up on him would give a heads up before they questioned him (Woo added him on FaceBook and they have a magic tips message thread that also acts as a reminder text for when some random government agents need to ask him some questions).

“Scott, there’s a problem” Hank’s voice said in a serious tone.

“Well, hello to you too, Hank” Scott greeted, sarcastically. “Jeez it’s the first time you’ve ever called me using my home phone number and this is the greeting I get? Whatever happened to “hello there Scott, lovely day we’re having, how are you today?””

“Enough chit chat, Scott. We have bigger problems to worry about” Hank replied in a monotone manner. “I’m sending Hope to fetch you and bring you to the lab.”

“Wait wait wha – what are we dealing with? And why do you need Hope to bring me? Just tell me where you are!”

“I can’t; this call might be monitored. I’ll inform you of all the details when you get here” Hank said calmly, as if the conversation they were having was just a regular dandy chat about baseball or the weather.

“Err…what if I told you that I’m kind of busy right now?” Scott said in an awkward voice. He looked at the whisk in his hand, and the cake that was currently doubling in size in his oven; he wasn’t exactly the picture perfect model of a supposed superhero in this setting.

“What could you possibly be doing right now that is so important?” Hank demanded, his voice growing impatient.

“Uh… baking?” Scott answered. He could hear Hank’s sigh on the other line, and cringed at how stupid he sounded.

“Just get your ass over here” Hank said in a no-nonsense tone.

“Yes, sir” Scott replied back, only to be met with the dial tone sound. “Okay, you hung up on me…real dick move, Hank.”

* * *

 

“Hey there, Mr. Mary Berry.” Hope greeted him as she entered through the backdoor of his house, coming from god-knows-where.

“Haha that’s funny, but just you wait, once you’ve tried my chocolate-carrot cake, you’ll never look at a cake in the same way ever again” Scott called out.

After the phone call from Hank, he started to clean up and wash the dishes while waiting for his girlfriend to show up. Thankfully, the cake had fully cooked through within Scott’s waiting timeframe, and it was currently placed on top of the dining room table for it to cool down.

“I’m sure whatever you made is delicious” Hope answered in a teasing manner as she sauntered into the kitchen. She smiled as she watched Scott rinse the last few remaining bowls, and slowly approached him while he was doing his chores. She wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him from behind. Leaning her head on top of his shoulder, she took a second to just be with the man she loved, in this moment.

“Hey, I missed you” Scott whispered to her, leaning back into her embrace and stretching his neck in order to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ve only been gone for a few days” she reminded him, breathing in his familiar scent. Scott frowned at her statement. Hope was keen on keeping silent about where she went whenever she was out on the run from the government; this caused Scott to worry whilst every second she was not in his arms or in his house where he could keep her safe.

“I always miss you when you’re gone. Yesterday I went out for a run, and ran into a tree because I was thinking about how cool it could’ve been if we could go out and jog together” he explained.

“I wish I could’ve been there to see you fall on your ass” Hope joked. Although, a part of her did feel sad that she still had to be in hiding. “But you know that my dad and I are still on the run. Those government agents aren’t going to stop anytime soon, Scott.”

“I know, I know…still…it sucks. I’m finally free to do whatever I want but what’s the point if I can’t even do anything with you” Scott sighed. He placed the last bowl on top of the disk rack and turned around to face his partner.

Hope didn’t reply, and instead, opted to rest her head on his shoulder as his arms circled around her waist, pulling her frame even closer to his body. Together they stood by his sink, spending a few seconds of silence, just holding each other.

Their little moment was interrupted by a vibrating sound coming from Hope’s coat pocket. She let out a disappointed sigh, and disentangled herself from Scott’s embrace. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her burner phone, frowning as she read the message.

“It’s my dad; he’s getting cranky. Come on, let’s head on out” she said, grabbing his hand and leading him out the front door. Scott stopped to lock the door, and in the meantime, Hope pulled out a miniature car and the shrinking/unshrinking remote. She approached the curb and carefully placed the small vehicle on the street. Then, she clicked the button on the remote, and the car grew in size.

Scott joined her by her side and gestured to the car. “After you, mademoiselle. ”

“Scott, you don’t even know where we’re going. I’m going to be the one driving today.” She chuckled, waving the car keys in front of his face.

“Oh right…well, I guess that makes me the mademoiselle in this situation, huh?” he said with an eager smile.

“Just get in the car, you idiot” Hope replied, shaking her head in amusement. Scott grabbed the passenger door handle and proceeded to let himself in. She walked across the front of the car to get into the driver’s seat.

 “So where to?” Scott asked as he turned his head to look at her. Hope gave him a mischievous smirk in return.

“You’ll see.” she responded in a cryptic tone before hitting the remote and shrinking the car back into a Hot Wheels sized miniature vehicle.

* * *

 

“All that baking must’ve knocked you out” Hope whispered into his ear. Her warm breath tickled his senses and Scott’s eyes shot wide open.

“Ugh…did I fall asleep or did you drug me again?” Scott murmured as he shook his head, trying to shake the drowsiness away. Taking in his surroundings, he saw that the car was now situated in the middle of what looked to be a forest.

“I didn’t drug you. You just started to zone out as soon as I started listening to my molecular physics podcast” Hope rolled her eyes at him.

“Sorry, as soon as I heard the words “electromagnetic spectrum”, my brain just passed out” he reasoned.

“You are such an idiot” Hope answered, giving him a mock glare.

“Yeah but I’m _your_ idiot” he grinned back, cockily. Hope’s glare transformed into a small smile, and she raised her hand to affectionately pat his cheek.

“Come on, we don’t want to keep my parents waiting” she announced before getting out of the car. Scott shuffled out of the car, still a little off-balance due to his short nap. He followed her as they walked along a barely-visible trail.

“Okay, Hope, I know now’s not the time to bring up stuff but I was just wondering, out of pure randomness, what are your thoughts on forest sex?” he whispered, still trailing behind his girlfriend.

Hope looked back at him and narrowed her eyes. “Now is definitely _NOT_ the time to be talking about that, Scott!”

He shrugged and gave her a nonchalant look, and she rolled her eyes at him.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking, Hope and Scott finally reached the end of the trail which led directly to the former Pym-Van Dyne home.

Scott looked at Hope in shock. He clearly remembered hearing from Woo that the house was basically searched and cleared by the government during the Sokovia Accords debacle, and last he heard, it was even bulldozed to avoid future complications.

“What- how?? Hope, I thought your house was long gone!” he shouted, his voice a mixture of shock and confusion.

“Hank was able to shrink it down before the demolition guys got to it. He placed it over here so he and my mom could have some privacy, and finally enjoy the quiet life.” She explained as they made their way to the front door.

Before Scott could even get in a few knocks, the door swung open and he was greeted by the sight of a frowning Hank Pym staring daggers at him.

“You’re late” the old man said.

“Well, my cake had to bake” Scott explained. Clearly that was not the right answer, and Hank just scoffed at his explanation.

“Hank, are Scott and Hope here already?” a voice asked from behind Hank. Janet van Dyne walked over to Hank’s side and greeted her guests with an inviting smile. The older lady reached over and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek. Afterwards, she went ahead and tugged Scott by the arm, pulling him into a big hug, surprising him.

“Um uh hello Mrs. Pym? Ms. Van Dyne?” Scott greeted her, unsure of what to call Hope’s mother.

“Oh please, Scott. You’re the reason for me being here , you get to call me Janet” she corrected him after releasing her hold on him. Scott nodded and gave her a polite smile. “Are you guys hungry?”

Scott nodded in a childlike manner and Janet welcomed them into their home.

“So what’s up? Is there an emergency?” Scott asked as they entered the house. He followed the Pym family into the kitchen and smiled fondly at the sight of Hope rushing over to help her mother with the tableware. It was so weird seeing Hope and her mother in the same room, but Scott was glad that she could finally have a chance at being a daughter again.

Hank noticed Scott’s smile and looked over to see what was making the younger man grin. He saw his wife and daughter smiling and laughing by the kitchen counters, and he smiled at his family being together like before.

“Scott, may I have a word with you in my lab? I’d like to talk about the improvements I want to add to your suit.” Hank called out. Scott nodded and followed the older man out of the room.

As the two made their way to Pym’s personal home-lab, Scott quietly observed the home that he used to frequent nearly two years ago. He noticed the addition of new picture frames hung on the walls in the hallway. There were more family photos that featured the Pym-van Dyne couple together with a younger-looking Hope. In addition to the older photographs, there were photos of a more current-looking Hope working over papers in her office, and a picture of Hank and Janet together, standing in the middle of a beach, and smiling at each other.

Scott smiled at all the new pictures; they must’ve been Janet’s touch to the place. They made the once-lonely and bleak large house feel like a home again.

“Well, are you going to just continue standing there, or are you actually going to join me?” Hank’s flat tone interrupted Scott, and the younger man quickly drifted his observations away to the pictures and towards the scientist, who was now standing by the entrance to his lab with his arms crossed over his chest, looking impatient.

“Oh yeah…sorry…” Scott mumbled as he hurriedly shuffled into the lab. “So, are you finally gonna let me have wings? Or better yet…blasters?”, he asked curiously as he sat on the edge of the sketching table full of blueprints. Hank quietly shut the door of the lab and faced the younger man with an expressionless look on his face.

“You are not getting wings” Hank said bluntly. “And I’m actually not here to talk to you about your suit.”

“Huh?”

“What are your intentions with my daughter?” Hank asked in a serious tone. Scott froze at the questions. _Were they actually going to have the father and daughter’s-boyfriend talk?_

“Uh well, I love her, you know that, Hank- I mean Mr. Pym? Wait, are we seriously talking about this right now?” Scott stuttered out. He’s known Hank for almost 2 to 3 years now and they had never talked about his and Hope’s relationship in that timespan. He just thought that it was that sort of thing he didn’t have to mention. Plus, a conversation about his relationship with his mentor’s daughter was as awkward as it gets.

“You’ve hurt her before” Hank stated. _Oh, so they were going to talk about it._

“She’s just gotten her mother back. I do not want her to get hurt again, not when she’s finally starting to open up once more. How do I know you’re not going to disappoint her like you’ve done in the past?”

“I know I’ve made mistakes. I feel like shit knowing that I’ve failed her before. I’ve spent years, _YEARS,_ regretting what I’ve done to both you and Hope.  I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t. I can only try to repent. But Hank, you’ve got to believe me; I never wanted to hurt her, that was not my intention.”

Hank stayed silent, his piercing gaze inspecting every word that came out of Scott’s plea.

“Listen, I love your daughter. I know that we both know that I’m not the best man for her. Hope deserves someone who can be there for her, someone who doesn’t screw up . I’m not that kind of man. I’m a fuck-up; I’m a former criminal with a child from a failed marriage who just happens to love your daughter. But everyday, I try to be better – to be the partner that can stand by her side. And I promise you Hank, I will be that guy for her. I will always fight for her.” Scott vowed, his voice resolute and clear.

Scott stood from the desk. He eyed the older man in front of him. Hank’s blank face did not reveal anything but his eyes softened a tad bit at Scott’s moving confession.

“You have a daughter” Hank pointed out. “I’m pretty sure that creates complications for your relationship, does it not?

“Yeah, I have a daughter, but it just so happens that Cassie loves Hope, and I’m pretty sure your daughter feels the same towards my kid” Scott answered back. He knew Hank was just trying to break him, but he wasn’t going to give up. “Hank, spit it out. You’ve got a problem with me, and I know its not because of me having a daughter.”

“I just don’t want her to get hurt” Hank confessed. The older Ant-Man sighed and leaned his back against the door. “I’ve got two women in my life, Scott. I’m trying to protect them as much as I can.”

“I get it, Pym.” Scott nodded. “But I have two women in my life too, and one of them is your daughter. I’m trying to be a hero for both of them.”

For a few seconds, the two men just stared at each other, daring the other to break. The room was silent as Hank thought over Scott's words. The old man could understand where he was coming from, and Scott was quite good at debating his cause.

Hank walked to where Scott stood and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “You’re a good man, Scott. You better protect my daughter with all you’ve got.”

Scott smiled earnestly at the man in front of him. “Oh, believe me, she’s the one protecting me, half of the time.”

The older Ant-Man patted his protégé on the shoulder before moving away towards the hallway. Scott meant to follow when Hank stopped abruptly, his hand resting on the doorknob.

Without turning to face back at Scott, Hank said in a low threatening voice, “But if you hurt her, Lang…expect a knife in the back.”

“Don’t worry, Hank. If I hurt her, I’ll personally hand you the knife.”

Hank gave a curt nod at Scott’s response, and he twisted the knob to open the door that led to the hallway. The two men were greeted by the sight of Janet standing right outside the door.

“I was just about to call you boys to the dining room. Hope and I prepared some of the meatloaf from yesterday night” Janet smiled at the two men.

“ _Ooooh_ meatloaf” Scott uttered happily. Hank rolled his eyes at the younger man and grasped his wife’s hand. Together, the three of them walked through the hallway.

“Did you have a nice chat with Scott, dear?” Janet asked her husband as Scott trailed silently behind them.

“Yes…very enlightening” Hank murmured.

“So what now? Is he son-in-law material?” Janet asked cheekily. After hearing her question, Scott let out a choking-coughing sound from behind the couple.

“Uh me and Hope haven’t even talked about that sort of thing!” Scott clarified in a surprised tone.

“Don’t worry, Scott. I’m just messing with you. I know what you and my husband talked about in there. My lips are sealed.” Janet replied, smiling reassuringly at her daughter’s boyfriend, even giving him a wink to freak him out a little more. The younger man still had a panicked expression on his face as the trio entered the dining room, where Hope was seated patiently for their return.

She noticed Scott’s freaked out look on his face, and raised her eyebrows at him. “Ok, what did you guys talk about?”

Scott opened his mouth to answer her, but found that he couldn’t utter any explanation. He was literally speechless.

“Oh, don’t worry about him. He just saw the blaster upgrades I have for his suit. He’s still in shock, I guess.” Hank lied to appease his daughter’s questioning.

“Uh…yeah…your dad made really big blasters. REALLY BIG” Scott answered, finally breaking out of his reverie-like state.

“You literally freaked out about blasters, Scott? You’re such an idiot” Hope sighed fondly at her boyfriend.

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot” Scott replied cheekily, almost instinctively. Hope chuckled, not even bothering to argue because it was true, _he was her idiot._

Hank and Janet watched silently from their seats beside each other as Hope and Scott conversed about Cassie’s day in school, and the cake that Scott made for his daughter.

From underneath the table, Janet reached out and grasped her husband’s hand. She gave it a tight squeeze and the older couple gave each other tender smiles.

“He’s good for her, Hank” Janet whispered into Hank’s ear whilst the young couple in front of them were occupied with their own conversation.

“I know.” He agreed, squeezing his wife’s fingers gently.

It took him years, but Hank Pym got his family back because of Scott Lang. He never realized, that in the meantime, Scott had become family too.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a kudos and a comment if y'all have suggestions for future chapters. I really love this ship and this family, and I'm practically buzzing to explore their dynamic.


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